In this edition of our Partner Insights series, we caught up with Simucube, manufacturers of the world's leading direct drive steering motors. Pekka, their Head of Marketing, is always a pleasure to deal with and we caught up with him for this interview. Digital Motorsports are an official OEM Partner to Simucube, meaning we are authorised to not only resell their range of products, but also incorporate them on our custom simulator solutions. Simucube are also a Season Partner for the Official Irish Digital Motorsport Championship (iDMC) which Digital Motorsports run in conjunction with Motorsport Ireland. Check out the short catch up with Pekka below; It really was a pleasure to chat in a less formal manner than usual!

Tell us a bit about yourself, and how you came to join the Simucube team?
Greetings from Finland! Well, it’s a bit of a long story, but I spare you the boring details! So, in short, I have been part of the Simucube team since February 2020. My official title is Head of Marketing, but my tasks here at Simucube HQ are not limited to marketing as usual in smaller, growing companies! I have a background in Airsoft, GPU, and mobile device businesses for many years. I wanted to find something new, Granite Devices (Simucube) had an open position, and well, here I am! Who would not want to drive a good simulator and get paid for it!

Our core values and missions are something that I vouch for:
Mission: Do the right thing with the superpower we have.
Values: Sustainability: Reliability & eco-friendly, Taking care of the Granite Family; Integrity, wellbeing, boosting, creativity, mutual benefit, a great customer experience, trust, respect, Lead by example, innovation, strive to be the best, constant improvement.

Vision: Create simulator equipment better than reality
I want to point out the term “Granite Family”, which includes internal and external stakeholders. We / I don't want to be a faceless corporation; It's the people who matter!

Simucube is widely regarded as the best Direct Drive system on the market. What sets you guys apart from the rest?
This question is why I wanted to share our values; we do care. We utilize our top-tier know-how from our industrial background and combine it with feedback and closely-knit cooperation with the racers in the field. It might sometimes feel that our advancements are a bit slow, but we are progressing behind the scenes, and as the team grows, output also grows. And let me tell you! There will be good stuff coming for Simucube 2 and Simucube Ecosystem later this year! In short, we develop and make products that we want to use personally; good enough is not enough for us.

What inspires you and the Simucube team?
That racers positive experiences through our products and activities. We want to build a community and race together! Again, our values, mission, and vision describes this exceptionally well!

What is your ultimate dream set up for a simulator?
I am a kind of casual sim-racer; I play mostly Assetto Corsa and mods for that! So for some, my dream setup might feel not hardcore enough! :
Cube Controls GT Pro Momo Wheel
Simucube 2 Ultimate
SimLabs P1-X
Our upcoming Simucube Dock
Simgrade R7 pedals / Heusinkveld Ultimate pedals
Samsung 49" Etc.

I am already driving with a similar setup and dreaming of a motion platform for the future!

What is your dream car and why?
1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe! It has been a dream since I was a kid! What is there not to love! The sad thing is that those open-topped cars are not that ideal for Finnish weather :D So it would be my summer car! 😉

What is your long-term vision for the company?
We want to be the market leader and go-to brand in High-end sim-racing in coming years; we want to focus on what we do the best; An open ecosystem that caters to the high-end segments. This venture will soon be announced officially, but let me tell you, it will be good. "Lead by example: innovation, strive to the best, constant improvement."

Who are your racing idols, and why?
As A Finn, rally comes with the bloodline, so naturally, Juha Kankkunen, WRC legend! He hails from the same area of middle Finland that I'm originally from! I watched his driving in the Finnish WRC cup every summer.

Why did you decide to partner with Digital Motorsports?
As SimRacing takes off more and more, so does Simucube, and racers demand it. Ireland is one of our biggest markets in Europe, and that needed to be covered. We wanted to find a partner that shares the same values and commitment to grow with us in the coming years. After having good discussions with you, we quickly decided, so the deal was struck. Digital Motorsport have years of experience and know-how in the sport, and we can gladly say that they are an integral part of the Simucube Family

What excites you about the future of sim racing?
Bringing the joy of simracing to the masses; Making it possible for people to experience the thrill of a race without spending house and half on the hardware. Simracing also has sustainability and economic aspect; Common real-life car racers can race only a few hours per weekend, in simracing its hours per day! Some don't even have access to a race track or even parking space for a real car. This is a topic that we get feedback on every week!

Do you see sim racing as a pathway to real-world motorsport? If so, why?
Indeed, we do; we are working with top-tier automotive brands as we speak on this aspect. Big companies are integrating simulators for training, sales, and product development at an increasing rate. These are the projects that will not be shown to the public (NDAs, etc.) but will indirectly benefit you, our drivers! I cannot call names, but as an example, well known European sports car brand will put you on the simulator first before they even give you keys for your new car!